Chaos Control Freaks
by Hawki
Summary: Novelization: With Eggman having collected the seven Chaos Emeralds, only one chance was left to prevent the scientist's schemes from being made manifest. However, in the process, something incredible happened. A warp through time and space...
1. Warped

**Sonic the Hedgehog: Chaos Control Freaks**

**Chapter 1: Warped**

The moon doesn't produce its own light. It merely reflects the light of the sun. So it is therefore possible for the inhabitants of this world to see it.

This world...no name, no designation, just...the world. A simple planet orbiting a simple star in a simple corner of the galaxy. A planet which receives the golden glow of sun at day, and the silver brilliance of moon and star at night. Such as this one. A night of full moon and many stars...most sources emitting light of their own, one reflecting it, yet also the most brilliant. It is light that is reflected even further, off a lake residing in the Mystic Ruins.

It is light that cuts through the darkness.

There are many on this world that understand these principles of light reflection and refraction. Some even know the principles of that which the light is cutting through. Some however, does not constitute all, or even most. The purple cat, awoken from his innocent slumber by the blaze of a siren, is one of them. Even if his mind is safe in its ignorance, his ears and eyes and sharp, and he quickly detects the source-the tower. No name, no purpose, just...the tower. It sprung up in a matter of days, but as it has had no effect on the area apart from the scenery, he has thought little of it. So even now, when it's emitting this awful wail, he gives it little thought. Heck, maybe it's done him a favour. A chance to do late night fishing.

If he only knew that the tower was part of an actual base...a base named Chaos Control. And its purpose was to do anything but do the inhabitants of this world favours. Inhabitants who, among them, include individuals who are willing to do what it takes to ensure that these unfavourable acts do not come to pass. So fishing as he does, the cat neither hears or sees what is happening...what is about to happen...

Lights shine from the tower, illuminating its cold, hard surface and the cleared land before it-a killzone. A killzone free of any vegetation that an attacker could use to sneak up on the facility. A killzone in which Egg Tanks are rolling forward towards to provide the first line of defence, while gun and missile turrets rise from the base itself. A killing ground. An impenetrable defence. A wall of laser, bullet and missile, making Chaos Control impregnable. An unmovable object. An object that begs the question as to what will happen to it when met with an unstoppable force?

As the force makes its way towards the object, the answer will soon be granted.

The cat doesn't know this. He doesn't know that this will be both the first...and last battle. He does not know that this planet will be spared tyranny, only for that tyranny and its history to be repeated elsewhere. He does not know that he will be there to see, if not comprehend it. He does not know that the age of heroes is coming to an end.

But as the force meets the object, as the first rounds of fire and fury are released, it is clear that this age has saved its best for last.

* * *

The tanks fired, the turrets took aim, the missiles launched...and Sonic the Hedgehog couldn't be happier.

Alright, maybe he _could _have been a bit happier, but he wasn't about to speculate on that. All his speculative ability was on how and why Eggman thought that the same old tactics of mass firepower were going to keep him out of Chaos Control. Heck, he could have stormed it any time, it was just that only now, as the doctor's plan drew to a close, that circumstances left him without option. Which wasn't that bad actually. Eggman would be defeated but escape, would think of some other harebrained scheme and life could go on just the way Sonic liked it.

Alright, maybe life could be a bit better. It was a given that the Egg Tanks would miss, but did they have to stir up so much dirt when their rounds hit everything but their actual target?

The "target," as the machines no doubt categorized him as, was 1 metre tall, 35 kilograms, 15 years old, mainly blue bar his emerald eyes and among other things, capable of travelling faster than any living thing on this planet and pretty much any non-living thing as well. That, and a personality that revelled in the nomadic life his speed could bring, ensured that as he evaded the gunfire, as he avoided death without a thought of what the concept meant, he was grinning the entire time. Not exactly arrogant, simply confident in the knowledge that history had never deviated from the norm. So he smiled when the Egg Tanks missed. He sniggered when dozens of missiles were launched from the base, soaring up into the night sky so the cameras in their warheads could get a better fix on his position (or something, Tails could explain it better). And even as the angels of death rained down behind him, even as he bounded off the Egg Tanks and cleared Chaos Control's fence, even as he entered a second killzone of crossfire rather than point fire, Sonic had only one question on his mind...

_...is this all Eggman can throw at me?_

Ducking under a stream of laser, only to jump over a missile that missed and took out a gun turret, Sonic resisted the urge to turn back and try again...when Eggman had a defence that could actually _challenge _him. As useless as the mad scientist was in achieving his goals (taking over the world and eradicating his arch nemesis. Neither goal was mutually exclusive), he _had _managed to do what no-one in history had ever managed to do...collect the seven Chaos Emeralds. Mysterious gems of unlimited power, it was said that if one had all seven...well, Sonic didn't know. Despite his boasts earlier in the day, despite his claims that world domination was finally within his grasp, the hedgehog suspected that even Eggman didn't fully understand what he was wielding. To the doctor, the emeralds were a means to an end. To Sonic, they were an excuse to storm Chaos Control, rescue his friends that the tyrant had captured for bargaining and crack Eggman's latest harebrained scheme. Preferably, but not necessarily in that order.

Well, whatever. As Sonic approached the base of the tower, he suspected this little adventure wouldn't last long enough for order to matter.

* * *

The challenger was making progress. Yet the defender would keep his crown.

Metaphorically of course. The defender had no crown, and even once he took his rightful place as ruler of this miserable world, he wasn't keen on wearing one either. Indeed, it was the process of achieving victory rather than victory itself that mattered to him. In ideal circumstances, he might let this struggle go on longer, to let the hedgehog and his friends fight the "good fight" and all that nonsense. But as enjoyable as that struggle was, it was still missing something...the thrill of actually winning. A thrill that would only be granted once, hence why the defender was willing to take his time to achieve it. But all good things had to come to an end and finally, he had the means to do so. It was time to end this.

Glancing at his energy amplifier, the scientist knew he finally had the means to do so. All seven Chaos Emeralds had been collected, and only the seventh had yet to be inserted. A bit of calibration, a bit of adjustment and soon his forces would be invincible. If Sonic knew what was good for him, he'd take such a moment as a sign to back off. If he didn't know what was good for him, which the doctor hoped he didn't, he'd finally have the opportunity to seize victory beyond mere domination...a victory that came with the thrill of crushing an opponent in both body and spirit. All he had to do was to hold off the hedgehog long enough and-...

"Doctor Eggman! Sonic's breached our last line of defence!"

Scowling, the scientist walked over to one of his mechanical assistants, not sparing it a second glance. He hadn't expected Chaos Control's defences to stop the hedgehog, but he hadn't counted on them being this _useless_ either. Either Sonic's speed was improving, or his technological prowess was declining.

Neither possibility was appealing.

"Alright then..." the doctor murmured, pressing a button on the console in front of him displaying a **12**. "If we can't blow him, we'll _crush _him..."

"We, sir?"

"Yes, we!" the future ruler snapped. "We in that you and Bocoe are going to initiate the lockdown! Now get to it before I set the E-12s on you as well!"

"Yes doctor!"

"Right away doctor!"

Loyalty...whether it was from fear or true dedication didn't really matter. Come sunset tomorrow, the difference would be academic.

With a grin as wide as his moustache, Doctor Eggman couldn't wait.

* * *

_Man...I know Eggman is as useless as a red light in slowing me down, but _come on_..._

It disillusioned Sonic that he'd been reduced to making quips so quickly, that he was wasting material on himself rather than on the doctor. If Chaos Control was defended adequately, his mind might have been occupied on how to stay alive. But having got past the defences' killzone, that was no longer an issue. He was less than a hundred metres from Chaos Control itself, and the only question right now was to ask-...

**Crash!**

...how to get past the pair of E-12s.

Sonic screeched to a halt, looking up at the six metre tall bi-pedal metal monstrosities that had burst out of the ground. Mass produced robots of Eggman's E-Series, incredibly strong, incredibly resilient and one of the few types of robot that Sonic and his friends not only encountered on a regular basis, but could actually put up a fight. A fight that the hedgehog decided in an instant, wasn't going to be fought. Not yet at least. Taking a left turn, with the robots in hot pursuit, Sonic admitted that Eggman had to come first. His toys were a distant second.

Or not so distant, as the pair engaged boosters on their backsides and gave chase.

_Boosters? Come on, you could at least _fly _rather than look like roller-blading behemoths..._

Sonic glanced back at the robots...or robot, as it became as one of the two veered off as the hedgehog approached one of the main entrances to Chaos Control. He couldn't blame it, given the relatively low height of the arch. Picking up the pace, he zoomed through, entering the sterile confines of Eggman's base. Either the E-12 would come to a halt, or crash into the wall. Sonic didn't care which.

**Crash!**

Scratch that...he did care. Cared because the E-12 had lowered its upper section as if kneeling forward, yet not slowing down at all. It was still tall enough to do a number on the ceiling, yet short enough to potentially do a number on its target as well.

_Eggman must be desperate..._the hedgehog reflected, seeing himself reflected as well on the E-12's single red lens that served as its eyes. _Thinks that resorting to collateral damage is going to stop-..._

**Crash!**

_...me._

The first E-12 had torn up the ceiling. The second E-12, the one that had veered off earlier, had smashed through a _wall_.

"Hey, that's my job!" Sonic exclaimed, still bearing down on the newly emerged E-12, though coming to realize that while he wasn't exactly between a rock and a hard place, he'd entered the realm that only footballs on the fifty yard line understood. One E-12 behind him, another E-12 in front of him and while he could at least knock one of them back with a spin, the other would still crash into him. It was an unpleasant situation, and as the second robot made itself take up as much of the hall as possible, it was clear its programming recognised that as well. What it hadn't realized however, was that there was a side entrance leading back outside. A side entrance that at the last second, Sonic steered himself through, out of the N-zone.

A sickening crash filled the hallway and the hedgehog grinned. Right now, he felt he had a right to. Certainly not like the ugly mug of Eggman right in front of him. An ugly mug that suddenly shot up into the air as the hedgehog passed over it. Sonic let out a yell as he flew up into the night sky. This was just humiliating.

"Target acquired."

Sonic opened his eyes, seeing a third E-12 having followed him into the air, using its boosters in a sensible manner. Sensible in that using them to propel themselves after their enemy was useless. Using them to actually fly however, with their enemy currently unable to evade them, was another. It was a manoeuvre that Sonic knew was going to work.

_Uh-oh..._

The hedgehog let out another yell as the E-12's fist made contact, sending him flying through the night sky. He was out of the fifty yard zone, but was heading to left field.

Glancing back at Chaos Control, steadily becoming further and further away, Sonic couldn't help but wonder how much time there was left in the game...and whether upon landing he'd still be able to play in it.

* * *

"Sonic!"

Miles "Tails" Prower liked to consider himself intelligent. He was a fox for starters, albiet a two tailed one and the most common compliment he got from people was "child genius." An exaggeration in his humble opinion, yet he still accepted that he was good with machines, creating devices that even Eggman had yet to conceive. So now, flying in a bi-plane called the Tornado, the rational part of Tails's mind pointed out that flying over Chaos Control, its defences still brimming with everything but the kitchen sink, was a foolish thing to do. The rest of his mind however, told the rational part to take a hike. Sonic, his best and first friend was in trouble. Any risk in getting Sonic out of trouble was academic.

So, taking the Tornado across Chaos Control, Tails prepared to save his friend and hopefully not get shot down in the process.

Keeping his eyes on the hedgehog, still able to see him against the blues and blacks of night, Tails weighed his options. Sonic was well able to survive drops that would incapacitate a normal person, but those jumps were made with the hedgehog in control. Here, it was clear that Sonic had been sent into the air without any control at all and would thus likely land accordingly in the trees of the Mystic Ruins based on his height, speed and trajectory. It was difficult to bring maths into this while his friend was in trouble, but Tails was able to calculate that he should be able to catch Sonic based on the distance and height between them along with their comparative speeds. All that was required of him was to brave the gauntlet of Chaos Control and hope he wasn't shot down.

_All right...here it goes..._

Gritting his teeth, Tails flew the gauntlet, not taking his eyes off the proverbial ball. He flew as the guns blazed. He flew as bullets and lasers tore up the air around him. He even flew as some bullets found their mark in the Tornado, ripping through metal and-...

"Ah!"

The Tornado wasn't a boat, but it was certainly being rocked. It wasn't sinking, but the effects of the impacts had caused it to lose speed and altitude. And hearing the exclamation of his passenger, Tails could understand why.

"Tails, there's smoke! The plane's on fire!"

Gritting his teeth even harder and nearly biting his tongue due to the plane's vibrations, the fox glanced back at his passenger and the source of her distress. Sometimes, Amy Rose the Hedgehog could be a source of distress herself, at least for Sonic in her strange belief that they were an item. However, Amy wasn't the problem this time. What _was _the problem, as the pink hedgehog had pointed out, was that the plane was on fire, smoke and flame belching out.

_Great. Just _great_..._

"Tails?" the hedgehog asked, clearly on the verge of panic. "What are we gonna do?"

"We'll be fine," the fox murmured. "Just hang on..."

He had to give Amy credit, given the lack of panic. Her ability to bring a mallet to her hands at a whim tended to grant her confidence that might otherwise be lacking. Tails however possessed no such hammer and even if he did, he'd need a dozen other tools to fix the Tornado. And besides, that wasn't his primary concern. The two were out of the gauntlet, but the damage had reduced the plane's height and speed. Sonic however, still had speed if not height. It was clear even without using triangulation that the Tornado couldn't reach him in time.

_But a missile could..._

It would be risky and pretty much the opposite of shooting fish in a barrel. But right now, with his life in danger and more importantly, Sonic's, Tails saw no other option. Swinging the Tornado around, the fox drew his breath and fired. Fired at where he hoped Sonic would land and would be able to take advantage of the flying Pandora's Box. Not filled with hope, but something far more substantial. Something that burst out of the projectile and continued its journey to its destined owner...

...a power ring.

Ignoring the increasing sputter in the Tornado's propeller and the build-up of heat on the opposite end of the plane, Tails watched. Watched the nothingness as both Sonic and the ring disappeared under the tree line. Watched with horror at the possibility that his best friend had missed his lifeline and was lying on the ground, body and spirit broken. Watched, his spirits rising, as a blue light formed under the trees, quickly blossoming into a white one like a flower emerging from a bud. Watched as a bud of a very different kind emerged not to the sun, but to Chaos Control. A bud using the chaos energy of the power ring to his advantage, going into a super spin. Watched, his teeth now displayed in a smile, as Sonic tore through the defences of Chaos Control, unstoppable.

"He's all right..." Amy breathed, having clearly seen everything Tails had. "Sonic's all right!"

Tails nodded. His friend was safe. Filled with chaos energy, Sonic would be unstoppable for a short amount of time, but that was all that was needed for him to crack Eggman's defences and pour the yolk out of the base's shell. Now, safe in his knowledge, he could worry about something else...

...saving his own skin.

* * *

Sonic was incredible.

Never mind the fact that the Tornado was on fire. Never mind that the bi-plane was steadily losing altitude while keeping its speed dangerously constant. Never mind that the imminent landing would be anything but controlled. Right now, Amy Rose didn't care about any of this and indeed, was barely aware of it. All that mattered was that Sonic had avoided a fall of his own, having absorbed the energy of the power ring. Someday the time would come when he gave her a ring of her own, but until then, she was content to watch her boyfriend tear through Chaos Control's defences as if they were nothing. Which, compared to Sonic, they were...

_Sonic, you're so dreamy when you're like this..._ the hedgehog thought to herself, losing sight of her loved one as his spin carried him through one of the tower's searchlights, entering the base proper. _Is there anything you can't-..._

"Hold on Amy!"

Amy blinked, and not because of the smoke around her. Tails's exclamation had drawn her back to reality, along with the Tornado's low altitude. Once again, fate had conspired to keep her and Sonic further apart...or rather Eggman, but that seemed beside the point right now.

Sometimes, the mind had to overrule the heart.

"Keep a steady grip!" Tails yelled, not turning around to face his passenger. "Landing's going to be bumpy!"

Gritting her teeth, closing her eyes and accepting that Sonic wouldn't be able to be her knight in shining armour this time, Amy followed suit, grasping the sides of her passenger seat and wishing it had a seatbelt. Although deprived of sight, her other senses indicated that she hadn't been reduced to a bloody pulp given the bump the plane made on landing rather than a crash along with its continued traction. Tails had made a successful landing.

_Guess Sonic wasn't needed then..._the hedgehog thought to herself. _Shame..._

Well, as disappointing as that was, at least she was still alive to be able to show her appreciation once Eggman's latest scheme went the same way as the doctor's ability to lose weight. Taking comfort in the thought, Amy opened her eyes...and lost all sense of comfort immediately.

"A rock!" Amy exclaimed. "We're gonna crash!"

Technically it was a boulder, but faced with the prospect of smashing against it, Amy wasn't too worried about technicalities right now. Nor was Tails for that matter, gripping the plane's joystick with both hands in a desperate attempt to alter the Tornado's trajectory.

It wasn't working.

"Come on Tails!" Amy screamed, watching the monolith get closer and closer as the night air rushed over her like the roar of the restless dead. "Move it! Shift this plane and-..."

"It's no use! I can't!"

Amy closed her eyes, trying to ignore the roar of the Tornado as it sped towards its destruction. Even Sonic couldn't save her now. Nothing could. All that was left was to wait for-...

**Crash!**

...the crash. A crash which she heard, yet was still breathing seconds after it, as the Tornado continued well after said crash and came to a stop. Her life hadn't flashed before her eyes (which to be honest, only started getting interesting after she met Sonic at the Miracle Planet), but right now, being able to continue said life more than made up for it.

"Uh..." Tails groaned, opening his eyes as well and glancing back at Amy. "You alright?"

"Yeah...I think so..." the hedgehog murmured, wishing Sonic had been here to ask her those words. "But weren't we going to hit the...the..."

Amy trailed off and Tails didn't pick up her line of speech. Simply put, there was no need to. As both the hedgehog and fox peered back to the boulder, only to find it had been reduced to shattered rocks, they found the source of their salvation.

"Knuckles..."Tails breathed. "Thank you..."

Red wasn't the same as blue, but even so, Amy was grateful. She gazed up at the echidna, standing on the largest piece of what used to be the boulder that had spelled their doom. Standing...and not doing much else. He just stared at them, his purple eyes devoid of emotion before turning to face Chaos Control...or rather what was left of it, given the fires raging around its base and the smoke from said fires obscuring what was still standing. It was as if rescuing the pair was nothing more than duty, and with that out of the way, he was free to focus on the task at hand.

"Hey!" Amy exclaimed, riled by the echidna's moodiness. "Tails just thanked you, the least you could do is..."

"Overkill...just like always. Sonic always goes too far..."

Right now, Amy _really _wanted her hammer. It had been hard enough to get the echidna to leave Angel Island to help in this mission and now his main contribution to it (as far as she was concerned) was to criticize Sonic's actions. What a...a...

_Forget him. He's not worth it._

Sighing, Amy leant back in her seat, letting logic and exhaustion take over. She and Tails were safe. And as long as Sonic remained safe as well, that was all that mattered.

* * *

"Doctor Eggman, the base is in one-hundred percent lockdown."

"Complete lockdown, all for one rodent...damnit, why is that pin-cushion always getting in my way!"

"You should know that Eggman...it's because of all the awful things you're always doing..."

"Chao!"

Cream the Rabbit didn't really feel like speaking. Part of that stemmed from the first thing that Eggman had said to her when she'd been brought into his nasty place, that she was to speak only when spoken too. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, all things considered), neither Eggman or his robots had spoken to her at all over the last few hours bar an offhand remark that she and Cheese could be used as bargaining chips if necessary. But now, with Eggman saying such nasty things about her friend, the six-year old couldn't keep quiet any longer. And even as Eggman walked to the glass capsule holding her and her pet chao, she met his gaze.

"All the awful things..." the scientist whispered. "My dear, you really don't want to know how awful I can be..."

Letting out a sob, Cream averted her gaze from the doctor, holding Cheese even closer. She didn't want to be here. She'd just been playing in the Mystic Ruins...had told her mother she'd meet her in time to go back to Green Hill.

_Mummy..._

"Of course, it no longer matters..." Eggman continued, his persona now back to confident rather than menacing. "I have all seven Chaos Emeralds. And once I insert the last one into my energy amplifier, my mecha will be invincible. Not even Sonic will be able to stop me!"

Cream dared glance up at her captor, the nasty man holding up a red Chaos Emerald. She didn't know what Eggman was talking about, whether it be a lockdown (whatever that was) or how the Chaos Emeralds were going to power his energy thingy. Yet she couldn't shake her feeling of dread. A feeling that something terrible was about to happen...and that trapped in her prison, she would be right in the thick of it.

_And Sonic will be too...he can handle anything...but if something does happen...I'll be the one to blame..._

Bad enough she'd been taken prisoner. But if anything happened to her friends because of her...

"Well?" Eggman suddenly asked, apparently expecting a response. "What do you have to say to that, Creamy-..."

"Sonic will stop you!" the rabbit burst out, not wanting Eggman to stare at her any longer. "He won't let you get away with this!"

The scientist chortled along with his robot servants, Bocoe and Decoe. "Sonic will stop me?" he sneered. "The base is in lockdown, my mecha are legion and despite what you believe, the hedgehog isn't invincible! There's no way he can stop me-..."

**Boom!**

"Sonic!"

It was like a dream...a good one, not one of those that prompted Cream's mother to bring her milk and cookies in the middle of the night. Dust was filling the room, yet she could make out its source. A source with the fading glow of a power ring in his hand. A source grinning in the knowledge that nothing could harm him. And in that knowledge, Cream smiled as well.

Sonic had come.

* * *

_Hmm...interesting..._

Rogue the Bat couldn't help but smile, and not only because of the quaint scene unfolding below her. Up in the rafters like the creature of her namesake, she'd spied on Doctor Eggman and his minions and captives for the past few hours. If she had a diamond for every time she reflected how "interesting" the situation was, she might not have needed to be here...almost. After all, what gems in the world were as rare or valuable as the seven Chaos Emeralds. A professional jewel thief, she normally wouldn't have bothered with men such as Eggman, leaving the dirty work to the idealistic fools that were willing to oppose him. Let them fight it out and in the meantime, give her the opportunity to snatch the gems without anyone even noticing. The best plans were those where she was never seen or heard and with the hedgehog having burst into the room, the chaos she required to succeed was at hand.

Rogue smiled...again. And not only because of the delightful look of shock, despair and frustration on the scientist's features at the sight of his enemy.

"So fast..." he murmured, his mouth in a shape the opposite of Sonic's...until he turned his frown upside down in a manner as clichéd as that saying. "But not fast enough!"

Rouge wasn't sure what the scientist meant by that, nor did she understand what inserting the Chaos Emerald into his machine and pressing buttons in rapid succession would accomplish, ending with his finger on a button attached to a chord. She'd heard him go on about "energy amplifier" this and "world domination" that, but it hadn't mattered that much to her, given that the Chaos Emeralds would be hers before Eggman could use them. It apparently didn't matter that much to Sonic either, given that he just stood there like everyone else in the room, watching the scene unfold.

_Guy's got balls, I'll give him that..._

"You'll never stop me now Sonic!" Eggman declared, having finished doing...whatever he was doing. "The energy amplifier is ready! One press of this button and I'll have won!"

"Yeah, if you can push it before I grab it."

Rouge had heard far more sophisticated threats in places that...well, places that the rabbit girl wouldn't be going to for a decade or so. Yet it did its job...the button was in Eggman's hands, yet any talk of victory had gone out the window. The question however, was whether a window of opportunity still existed.

_Eggman's got the switch, Sonic's got the speed...so how do I get the Chaos Emeralds in the midst of this?_

For better or worse, the answer presented itself. Through the dust of Sonic's entrance, a figure emerged. A figure on tracks, bearing a single green lens for an eye, two machine guns and a **13 **painted on it. A guardbot-specifically, a guardbot with its sights on the hedgehog.

"Grab it before I push it..." Eggman said slowly, regaining his confidence slightly faster. "Then why don't you give it a try?"

Sonic didn't give it a try. He was too busy grinning like an idiot and evading the gunfire the guardbot was pouring at him.

Rouge smiled, though unlike the hedgehog, she had good reason to. The distraction was in place. Sonic was too busy avoiding gunfire to notice her, and everyone else in the room was too busy watching him do so to notice her either. She could wait and-...

"Stop him! No matter what!"

Rouge let out a yell as bullets whizzed past her, the guardbot hitting everything but its target. It hadn't noticed her, but that didn't mean it couldn't hit her. Maybe waiting wasn't the best strategy.

_Alright..._thought the world's greatest thief, her eyes on the Chaos Emeralds. _Here we go..._

_

* * *

_

**Directive...stop target...no matter what...**

**Acquiring target...target velocity offsetting rate of aim adjustment...current parameters insufficient to hit target...**

**(External) "That's it! Drive him out like an insect!"**

**...current parameters will suffice. Will follow parameters...**

**Observation-target has landed between E-13 unit and master. Chance of hitting target and not master negligible.**

**(External) "Wait! Hold your fire!"**

**Error. Order contradicts earlier order to stop target no matter what. Will proceed with earlier directive.**

**Error. Target has jumped into the air and evaded projectiles. So has master, ducking below them. Projectiles have hit energy amplifier...analysis indicates only superficial damage...wait...energy output detected...amplifier has been activated...energy amplifier damage more extensive than first thought. Master recognises this.**

**(External) "What have you done!"**

**...No answer to query. White light forming...overwhelming visual feed...**

**Error...error...**

**

* * *

**

_What's happening. Did I do that?_

"Cheese...I'm scared..."

"Chao..."

"Er, Becoe? What's happening?"

"I...don't know..."

_Son of a...what did those jewels just _do?

"What...is that?"

_A space-time distortion...I think. This is fascinating. It...wait...its engulfed Chaos Control...it's...coming towards us..._

_Damnit, what's Sonic done _this _time?_

"Wow Froggy...look at the pretty glow. It's...big...and white..."

...

...

...

* * *

_A/N_

_Probably apparent, but yes, this is a novelization of the first episode of _Sonic X_. Feel it's worth mentioning a few things. Firstly the E-12s-I've seen the terms "Dreamer" and "Dreadnought" to describe them, but neither from an official source. Kind of late now, but I don't suppose anyone has any info on the matter?_

_As for the matter of Eggman's Base being named Chaos Control in the English dub (likely a translation error), I'll point out that it was confirmed as "official" via the comic series. Since quite a few people are miffed at 4Kids' editing/dubbing of the series (Season 3 the biggest offender IMO), I feel it's worth mentioning in the interests of saving myself from being lynched. 0_0_


	2. Running Wild

**Sonic the Hedgehog: Chaos Control Freaks**

**Chapter 2: Running Wild**

Silence. Darkness. The two went hand in hand. One devoid of sound, the other devoid of sight. Two senses removed, and two of the most important at that. There were exceptions of course-some beings thrived in the dark. But most beings clung to the light. Most beings were dependent on five senses working in tandem. And brief unconsciousness notwithstanding, Sonic the Hedgehog was one such being.

A being that let out a groan as he opened his eyes, slowly sitting up on the cold surface of…wherever he was.

"Man…must have blacked out or something…" the hedgehog murmured, rubbing his head in an attempt to stop the ringing in it. Kind of like the feeling one got from a rapid change in altitude, yet applied to the head as a whole rather than just the ears. Ears that heard nothing…just like eyes that saw nothing. So far, coming back to the waking world, assuming he was still in it, had done jack.

_Okay…so I'm in a dark and not so scary place…_the hedgehog thought to himself, gazing around the darkness. _So what do I…do…?_

A prudent question, made all the more relevant in that his senses were starting to work. Or rather they'd been given something to work with. A pair of lights…a horn…coming towards him…not slowing down…

_What in the-…_

It was possible to think and do other things at the same time. Even for Knuckles. Yet right now, Sonic found himself incapable of doing so. All that mattered was getting out of the…thing's way, the pair of lights and sound it was making the only indication of its existence. Letting out a yelp for good measure, the hedgehog managed to do so…barely.

Three seconds later he was doing it again…avoiding yet another pair of lights and whatever they were attached to. And a third…a third that he couldn't avoid. A third that stopped on their own accord. A third that were attached to…

_A truck. I've been dodging _cars_._

Suffice to say, Sonic's sense of sight had returned. Given all the beeping, honking and occasional profanity, it seemed that his sense of hearing had returned as well. His sense of place however…well, that was as absent as silence about now.

_Okay…_the hedgehog thought to himself, deciding that since the cars were kind enough to wait for him, he could afford to get his bearings without rushing into anything. _Let's start with getting a bearing._

Sonic couldn't help but reflect that it was testament as to how whacked the situation was that he was willing to _wait _to sort things out.

Gazing around, Sonic was able to deduce that he was in a city-big buildings, bright lights and as a result, few visible stars in the sky. Yet this city seemed…different, somehow. He'd been in cities before, most recently when he and his pals snagged the Crystal Rainbow Stone from Eggman. Yet this city was…clustered, more enclosing. And while most cities on his world were predominantly white colored to maximize albedo (whatever that was), there was no such colour scheme here. No trees either. And the smell…it wasn't choking him like some of Eggman's early factories had, but the stench of fossil fuels was still there…ugh. Suffice to say, this wasn't the Mystic Ruins.

_So where am I then? Another part of the planet? Did the white light transport me somehow?_

Well, stranger things had happened. Such as that the thrill Sonic would have usually got from this kind of scenario was completely absent.

_What is this place? _Sonic wondered, slowly bringing his gaze back to the ground, complete with cars that looked far less sleek than what he was used to and their continually beeping drivers. Drivers that were no doubt of the same species as the…things around him.

_And who are these guys? And why are they staring at me like they've never seen a hedgehog before?_

To be fair, Sonic was staring as well. He had no idea what these…things' deal was, but his deal was completely valid. They were…were…heck, he had no idea.

_Okay…if this is still in my world, it got lost in the atlas somewhere…and biology encyclopedias…_

The creatures were strange. Firstly, there was their height. Sonic knew that for his own kind, the average height of an adult ranged from roughly 1.3 to 1.8 metres. Yet for these things, it seemed that 1.8 metres was an average rather than a maximum. Even their children (assuming they were children) were about a head taller than him. They were a race of giants…giants that seemed fixated on clothing.

_Amy would have a field day here…_

Or not. The clothing was _everywhere_, both in sight and on the aliens' bodies. It was custom for female animals to wear clothing as Sonic knew, but few male members of his own kind that engaged in the practice, as it just wasn't necessary. Yet for these creatures…well, they had clothing on their bodies _everywhere_. Well, everywhere but their hands for some reason, as none of them were wearing gloves. That…that…that was unthinkable! Not everyone Sonic knew wore gloves, but their absence was very much a rule rather than an exception. This…was…it wasn't right!

_Crikey, don't they have any decency?_

The profanities were one thing. The lack of decent handware was another. But what _really _sent Sonic's mind spinning was their physical appearance. Their height was strange enough, but the complete absence of fur, their exposed skin…skin that ranged from the dark to the fair, even pure white in the case of one of them with a weird spiky haircut. They had some fur on their heads, but it looked different…completely superfluous in regards to the rest of their bodies. There was a gap between their eyes and lower part of their faces, not to mention their eyes being smaller to their heads proportionally. Yet for all their bizarreness, there was something familiar about them. As if Sonic had seen them before. As if…as if…

_Eggman…_

Eggman had hair. Eggman had exposed skin. Eggman was tall, his weight clearly not hampering that. And as far as Sonic and apparently Eggman himself knew, he was the only one of his kind. A being of unknown species and origin. Were these…aliens more of his kind? Had Sonic found the doctor's point of origin?

"Move that critter off the road!"

"Come on! Shove it!"

Sonic clenched his fist. He was in hostile territory. And if these aliens were anything like Eggman, if they truly were of the same species…best to be on his guard.

_What wouldn't I give for robots…least they aren't as weird looking as these guys. And why do they keep _staring?

"What the hell is going on!"

"What is this, Halloween!"

Sonic didn't know what Halloween was, nor did he know why or how the aliens were speaking his own language. And, for that matter, he didn't know why two of them in uniform were running up to him.

_Once I get home, the other guys are going to have a field day. If I get home at all that is…_

_

* * *

_

A cross junction, traffic in all directions, shouts and beeps to drive one mad…yeah, this was what Officer Crew of the Station Square Police Department knew could be a best case scenario or worst case scenario, with very little in-between. Best case was that a driver (or driver_s_) had been an idiot and all that remained was for him to get the cars to move on and write a ticket. Worst case scenario was that there'd been a terrible accident, that there'd be blood and…well, stuff that he'd yet to actually see in real life and would hopefully never have to. Still, running between cars to the middle of the junction alongside Officer Mack, Crew prepared for the worst, but hoped for the best.

Finally laying his eyes on the source of the congestion, it turned out it was neither.

"What…is that thing?" Mack asked, putting voice to the question that was on Crew's, and probably everyone else's mind.

"A hedgehog…I think…" Crew murmured.

"A _blue_ hedgehog? And one this size?"

Crew rubbed a hand through his short blonde hair, feeling for sweat that the cool, dry night air shouldn't have allowed for. "Hedgehog" was indeed the first species that came to his mind when looking at the thing, but standing here alongside his fellow officer, it seemed that "thing" was a far better term. Sure it had spikes…large blue ones…but that was where the similarities to a hedgehog ended. Bi-pedal, sneakers and gloves, large green eyes that were staring at him with…well, some kind of emotion…was this a robot? A puppet? Some arsehole's idea of a joke to ground traffic in Station Square to a halt?

_I dunno…maybe the hedgehog knows…_

Or maybe not. It just stood there…staring…seemingly as confused as he was…

Crew shook it off. He couldn't say he'd seen stranger things in his career, but he'd certainly dealt with individuals that presented more of a threat than this hedgehog…thing. Besides, knowing Mack, he'd likely make a mountain out of a mole-hill if action wasn't taken, not to mention the hordes of frustrated drivers. Get the…hedgehog off the streets and take things from there.

"Well…whatever it is, we better get it down to the station…" Crew murmured. Walking forward and taking off his cap, he kneeled down before the animal. Chances were he was going to make a fool of himself and someone with too much time on their hands would be posting videos on the Internet within the hour, but hey, no-one wore the uniform without getting embarrassed once in awhile.

"Hey buddy…" the officer said slowly, meeting the hedgehog's perplexed gaze. "Want a ride with us to the station?"

"Won't it bite?" Mack asked, leaning over Crew's shoulder.

"It's alright pal, I've got three cats at home. I think I can handle this little guy."

And to show it, using the same technique that worked on Oscar, Pip and Flash, he gestured to the hedgehog to walk over to him. Officer Crew…pet detective…

And since the hedgehog folded its arms and made what sounded like a snort, not a very good one.

"See?" Mack asked, a distinct edginess in his voice. "That thing's got an attitude. A bad one…"

Crew was barely listening. The hedgehog had just _folded his arms _and _snorted_. That…just didn't happen. Animals just didn't _do that_. But did robots? Well if they did, they'd certainly grown an awful lot of fur and skin to hide their bolts. Well, no matter. Animal or robot, nothing was sophisticated enough to-…

"Got you!"

…jump to the side.

Crew blinked…he'd lunged, the hedgehog had _sidestepped _and he'd made himself look like an idiot…if he hadn't already. He was barely aware of Mack drawing out his baton and shouting something, his large physique clearly not intimidating the hedgehog any further than Crew's more lithe form had. This…just didn't happen…

_Station Square's finest, outmaneuvered by…uh-oh…_

Uh-oh may have been an understatement. Not only had Crew been made a fool of in front of dozens of people, but given the telltale…exotic accent of Sergeant McAlester, he'd done it in front of a superior officer as well. Granted the man was keeping Mack from doing anything rash, but…well, what the hell. McAlester, with large moustache and large physique, was a bit of a joke himself considering that he changed his accent every other week (sounded Irish right about now, but could have been Scottish…heck, even Welsh for all he knew…). Crew had been through worse.

Not that he could name such a situation right now…

Getting to his feet and retrieving his hat, Crew, Mack, McAlester and two newly arrived officers went about their plan-surround the hedgehog and pounce on it. Not that sophisticated, but since the hedgehog was just standing there, still staring blankly, it probably wouldn't be an issue this time. Dodging one officer was one thing, but dodging five was another. Especially if all it could do was move from side to side.

"Alright, on the count of three, we're all going to jump him at once," McAlester declared, slowly descending into a crouching stance like a predator stalking his prey. "One…two…three!"

In tandem, Crew and the four other officers pounced. In tandem, they grabbed the target, currently hidden under a sea of black uniforms.

"I have its leg!" Crew exclaimed.

"I've got it round the neck Sarge!"

"I've got an arm!"

"Alright," answered McAlester. "We'll pull him out in one…two…three!"

Three…the lucky number, the sacred trinity…some mumbo jumbo that wasn't going to help the SSPD at all right now. Because as the five officers drew out the 'target,' it was clear that every body part they'd grabbed was that of a counterpart officer. And now extended, it was Ring Around the Rosie gone south as Station Square's finest collapsed off the ground, thrown off balance.

"What the hell were you doing?"

"Where's the hedgehog?"

"Hey, watch it!"

Crew ignored them. Firstly he'd been embarrassed like this about a minute ago, so it wasn't so bad. Secondly, he was more focused on finding the hedgehog, currently perched on a red car and _shrugging _of all things. Thirdly, he was aware that five police officers and suddenly become four. And the fifth…had somehow got his hands on a net, had sneaked up behind the animal/robot and bagged him.

_Finally…_

"It caught it Sarge!" the officer exclaimed, beaming at his catch of the day. "No worries Sarge, I ah!"

Crew shouted as well, as did every other officer. Shouted because the hedgehog had suddenly started running, dragging the officer along as he clung onto the net for dear life. So did four other officers in a desperate attempt to stop the being…and failed miserably. Dragged along between cars, Crew closed his eyes, thinking of his three cats…animals that conformed to the norm, not spit on it.

_Can't…hold…on…_

In the end, he didn't have to. Hearing the sound of the siren, Crew opened his eyes, seeing a police car swerving towards them. A police car with open windows that the hedgehog jumped through. A police car that thanks to the hedgehog's maneuver, now had seven officers squeezed into it.

"What in the-…"

"The hedgehog! Where'd it go?"

"Son of a-…!"

"Get offa me!"

Crew closed his eyes again. This night was too weird. It was only McAlester's voice that prevented him from calling it quits on his sanity.

"Attention all units! Attention all units! A blue hedgehog is headed north on Central Street! Shut down all thoroughfares leading into and out of Station Square! And set up a roadblock just before the on-ramp to Route one-oh-one!"

Strong, firm orders. Testament as to why despite his linguistics, McAlester was sergeant.

How much good they'd do was another matter…

* * *

"A block on all thoroughfares? Sergeant, isn't that-…"

"Just do it! Now!"

"…yes sir."

Taking a sip of coffee that was two hours old, Jack began the process that he'd only rehearsed for one month, yet had excelled at. An operator at SSPD HQ, specifically its CIC component, it was his job to alert units, take orders and do it with caffeine running through his system as he did so. And even if it was nearly midnight, even if Sergeant McAlester's orders were bizarre, he'd see them through.

_Route 101…_the young man thought to himself, rubbing a hand through his short brown hair rather than his eyes, which was tempting right now in light of the need for a break from his shift. He drew up a map of Station Square, along with the locations of all police stations and units within it. _Patrol 8055 is the closest force for a roadblock…and if I get Delta 1 in the air…should work…_

Sighing, Jack sent out a typed message to the sometimes reckless but overall reliable Sergeant Forge, wanting him to organize all nearby units into a force for the roadblock and the 35th penitentiary at Central, wanting a helicopter in the air. He was slightly hesitant to write that this was all because of a blue hedgehog, but McAlester hadn't given him anything else to go by, so what else was there to do?

Hitting send, Jack lay back in his chair and yawned. He hadn't been on the job long, but he knew even before signing up that Station Square's crime rate was practically nil, at least in regards to vehicles. Sure, someone might get the odd accident or intoxication, but nothing to warrant a response of this magnitude. He might as well-…

"Hey kid. Did I miss anything?"

Jack shot up to attention. He recognized the voice. Everyone in the room did. That was why he daren't look back, but rather returned his full attention to the console in front of him.

After all, you didn't screw with the guy who was responsible for such a low crime rate…

* * *

Midnight highway patrol was a breeze. Heck, that was the reason why Officers Scanlon and Hammond liked it so much. Car crimes were low, traffic itself was low and most of the time, they had the highway to themselves. No-one bothered them, no-one contacted them and until now, no-one had played a joke on them. Still, there was a first time for everything. And to mark the grand occasion, the SSPD had told them to look out for a hedgehog. Go figure.

And some people said the SSPD was _overfunded_…

"A blue hedgehog huh?" Hammond chuckled, currently driving at a steady 100mph while Scanlon laid back in his seat, eyes closed and "chilling" if such a term could truly be applied. "That code or something? Or has Control lost it?"

"Could be both," Scanlon chuckled, reclining his seat back even further. "Probably some fancy sports car from overseas…no concern of ours pal…"

"I dunno…" Hammond murmured. "If we catch it…could drive it…just saying…"

It was a slightly foreign concept. Hammond and Scanlon were slackers and everyone knew it. That was why they were assigned to highway patrol in the first place, where nothing ever happened and if it did happen, there was a station just a few miles away where the real deal could be deployed. It was why they hadn't even turned on their sirens yet, just cruising along through the slow lane.

Life was great.

"You're thinking too much pal," Scanlon said eventually, patting his partner in crime on the shoulder. "Chances are we won't even see the car. And if we do, the only hedgehog we'll be seeing is a hood ornament."

Hammond would have laughed if not for the 'thunk' on the car's bonnet. A thunk that signaled their car getting a hood ornament of their own. A hood ornament that was about a metre tall, blue and resembled…a hedgehog.

_What in the…_

Hammond's mind went blank. Never mind stopping the car, never mind…well, doing anything. His eyes, if not his mind, were purely on the hedgehog. A hedgehog that glanced at the Station Square skyline and as soon as it appeared, zoomed off again. As in, zoomed out of sight down the highway faster than what should have been physically possible. If anyone was playing a joke on the SSPD this night, it was the laws of physics.

"How…did…see…what…"

Hammond remained silent.

Some things didn't need saying.

* * *

"You're saying…that it went over one-hundred miles per hour…that it appeared on top of your car…and that there's no trace of it?"

"Yeah…pretty much…"

"Gah! What are you morons-…"

"Come on Jack, I'm sure they're just doing their jobs to the extent the law requires them to."

If he had been in a better mood, Jack would have pointed out to his visitor, not to mention the rest of the visitor's team, that doing their jobs to the bare extent was what officers like Scanlon and Hammond thrived at. Still, that wouldn't do him any good. And besides, he had more important things to worry about…such as how to bring that hedgehog's speed (_a hedgehog…an actual hedgehog…_) from over 100mph to 0.

"Okay…" said the controller slowly, wishing he had some more coffee at hand. "Delta One, this is Control. Unit 361 last sighted the hedgehog heading north from Central. It should be within your vicinity, over."

* * *

"They were in hot pursuit and it got away! Can't those clowns even catch a hedgehog!"

"Calm down Redmond. The hedgehog was going at more than double their speed."

"A hedgehog going at more than one-hundred miles per hour? Yeah Grant, I'll believe that when I see it."

Redmond and Grant, the pilot and co-pilot of Delta 1 were formal, by the books officers and some of the finest pilots in the SSPD. Which was why, past their shift, this entire operation struck Redmond as some kind of bad joke. Scrambled into the air, told to patrol over the Central extension to 101 for a _blue hedgehog _of all things…Christ, had Station Square become so boring that Control was being required to make stuff up to keep the taxpayers happy? Well, Redmond paid his taxes like everyone else and he wasn't happy in the slightest.

"Okay," sighed the pilot. "Let's do our patrol, look out for this _blue hedgehog _and-…"

"Hey! There it is!"

Redmond blinked, and not because of the helicopter's searchlight. No, the reason that he blinked was because of what the searchlight was illuminating. Down on the ground, about fifty metres below them…something bi-pedal…something travelling at over 100mph…something blue…

_What in the world?_

Maybe this wasn't a joke. Maybe there _was _a blue hedgehog on the loose. Maybe…well, maybe nothing. Delta 1 had its job. And Redmond would see it through.

"Control, this is Delta One," the pilot announced over an open frequency. "Subject's heading north on the Central Street extension, about a mile and a half from the entrance to one-oh-one."

"Roger Delta One," the operator answered. "Unit Three, subject is headed your way. Repeat, subject is headed your way."

"Don't you worry Control," came the confident voice of Sergeant Forge. "This hedgehog can't get around us, under us or through us. We'll stop him."

Unit Three had been rapidly assembled under Sergeant Forge and as Redmond saw as both hedgehog and helicopter approached 101, had done an impressive job of not only assembling police cars, but had even got earth movers to add to the barricade. How, he didn't know but right now, it didn't matter. From up here, he had to agree with Forge's assessment-there was no way the hedgehog could do any of the things the officer had described.

And it didn't.

Without slowing down, without changing course, the hedgehog jumped. Jumped dozens of feet in the air, sailing over a barricade twenty-metres long. Landing on the other side, it continued running into the night, even faster than before. And all the SSPD could do was watch.

"Well…it didn't get over us, around us or through us…" Forge said awkwardly, adding an even more awkward chuckle in a futile attempt to make light on the situation. A situation that entailed the SSPD looking like idiots and the suspect out of sight if not out of mind. Such was the reason why Redmond was getting a headache right now.

"Um, sir?" Grant asked. "What do we do now?"

Redmond sighed, knowing that Grant already knew what the answer was.

"They're gonna love this down at headquarters…"

* * *

This couldn't be happening…

"Delta One to base…I'm afraid that roadblock didn't work."

"No!" Jack exclaimed, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Don't tell me it got through!"

"Okay."

"Ah! I can't believe this!"

Slamming his hands down on the console one second and tearing off his headset the next, the third second in this trinity of frustration was spent burying his face in said hands. This…wasn't right. Not all criminals came quietly, but here was a hedgehog, an _animal_, getting past roadblocks, evading patrols and if the faint transmission from Delta One was to be believed from the headphones, out of sight as well. And, Jack had to admit, there was fear. Fear that as controller, he'd be held responsible…disciplined…fired…

_Except…there is one option…and he's right here in this room. And they haven't had much to do the past year…_

"Um, captain?" Jack asked uncertainly, turning to face the man behind him and his assembled team. "I have some bad news…"

"Bad news?" the captain asked. "Sounds like good news to me."

"Um…"

"Relax kid," the captain chuckled. "I think we have what it takes to round up our furry little friend. Right guys?"

The S-Team chuckled, though quickly affirmed his sentiment. For his part, Jack affirmed…or rather hoped it was true as well.

"Good," the captain announced. "S-Team, move out."

And with their glee barely concealed, they did so, filing out the room with restraint if not in silence. So did Jack's sense of doubt that this FUBAR situation could be rectified.

After all, men like Sam Speed were known for getting the job done.


	3. The Need for Speed

**Sonic the Hedgehog: Chaos Control Freaks**

**Chapter 3: The Need for Speed**

Lights can mean many things.

A light can signal whether a device is active or not. A light can indicate anything from a raging fire to a raging concert. Or as is common in every city on the globe, lights can dictate movement. Not total control of course, but anyone would do well to pay attention to them. Red, yellow, green…three colours, three indications. All of which are to be obeyed.

The S-Team's indicator was no exception, even if it was the opposite of the traffic system. In a dashboard by their office, there were three lights and three statements. Green for rest, yellow for on standby and red to be called out. Which in an instant, they were. A moot point of course, having followed the events of the night in Control. But no matter. They were glad to be on their feet. And they'd be even gladder to be off their feet and in the seats of their vehicles.

But for now they walked.

It was potentially a strange sight. Someone might ask what were Formula One racers doing in a police station? And indeed, that was what the five of them looked like. True, they had the badges, the belts and everything said belts held, but their uniforms? Red and white? Well…what of it? They were the Speed Team. They brought in the fastest, craziest, most dangerous drivers that Station Square had to offer. Or at least they used to. Nowadays, there weren't any of those kinds of drivers left. And while their target wasn't actually a driver, it was fast. And that was all that mattered.

So they walked. Through the halls to the garage, with a pit crew that had been idle as much as they had were working on getting their cars into shape. Walked and smiled. And as in the case of their team leader, began typing something on a PDA…

* * *

Sonic was slowing down.

It wasn't because he was tired. After all, the hedgehog was the fastest thing alive and had done a good job of proving it this night. No…the reason he was slowing down was that he'd proved it too well. No-one was chasing him. Reducing his speed to a leisurely fifty miles per hour, Sonic looked around. No cars, no helicopters, not even any of those aliens walking around. It was just him, the highway and the night sky.

_So I should keep moving then…_the hedgehog reminded himself. _Just because they're gone now doesn't mean they won't show up later._

_So? _asked another part of his mind. _They haven't given you any challenge so far, what makes you think they will in the future._

_I can't think straight while on the move._

…_what? Did you become Knuckles all of a sudden?_

By this stage 50mph had been reduced to zero. At this rate, standing in the centre of the highway, the only way Sonic would be going fast was if he stuck to the wheel of the car that ran him over.

Sonic shook the thought away. Eggman could have done far worse to him had his robots been able to aim straight, so he wasn't going to let cars that universally ran on _wheels _of all things to shake him. And he had other thoughts to deal with as well. Such as where he was…where his friends were…

_No biggie. You started off alone in Green Hill remember? You can do the same again._

The hedgehog let out a sigh. Yes, he had been just fine in Green Hill before encountering Eggman for the first time. Heck, even seeing Eggman right now with a wrecker ball attached to his Eggmobile would be reassuring right now. Yet times had changed. He'd met people, grown attached to people. And while he was perfectly willing to go solo, he could take solace that he knew where to find them if necessary. Or that they would find him themselves, which Amy did far too often for his liking…

_Tails…Amy…Knuckles…Cream…_

There was nothing to be gained by wondering. Yet as comforting as feeling the wind against his face as he approached the sound barrier was, Sonic knew nothing could be gained by plowing ahead. There was only one point of reference available to him. And as he leaped up upon a lamp post to gaze at it, Sonic stared up at it.

The night sky.

* * *

Samuel "Sam" Fair, a.k.a. Sam Speed, a.k.a. whatever nickname he felt like going by smiled.

It was good to see that a year of idleness hadn't made his pit crew idle by extension. Granted it was a bona fide garage rather than the pit stops he'd relied on before joining the SSPD and pioneering the Speed Team concept, but that mattered little. What did matter was that as he and the four other members of his team walked into the garage, work had already begun on getting their vehicles ready. And even as they saw their leader walk in, the formalities didn't interrupt their work.

"Hey chief."

"Great to be back in action boss."

Sam nodded, glad that they weren't calling him captain. He knew he looked the part, being tall with an athletic build, cool gray eyes and straight ginger hair, but 28 was a bit young to be a police captain. Still, no-one was under the impression that the S-Team was a regular unit. And the fact that five Formula One racecars were ready for them stood as testament to that.

_Only five? Not that we need more, but…_

Sam shook it off. Given how quiet the last year had been, he was lucky that the unit hadn't been scrapped altogether. After tonight, he could set about getting some more cars back into service and start interviewing applicants such as Paul and Dawn in the knowledge that they could be hired. Regardless, for now, the team would have to make do with five cars. Four white, one red and each with sirens. Oh, and yellow thunder bolts painted on their fins. Even the SSPD understood the concept of riding in style. Unlike the SSPD though, the S-Team understood much more about driving. And as such, Sam began a procedure that had been too long coming.

"Hey Bill," Sam said, walking over to one of his techs at a monitor. "What's the temperature tonight?"

"It's about seventy degrees. And dry as a bone."

"And the western wind?"

"Calm today."

"Road-pitted or smooth?"

"Nice and smooth."

Sam nodded before fitting on the dermal layer that would separate his head from his helmet. Bill's answers were short and to the point which suited him just fine. And with the weather being on their side, the S-Team seemed in for an easy time. True, this 'hedgehog' had outmaneuvered the SSPD so far, but in light of his team's prowess, that wasn't saying much.

_Hope this chase doesn't end too soon…_Sam reflected, fastening the dermal. _Want to get hazard pay at least…and you know, a challenge…_

"Alright," said the team leader eventually. I want a medium-soft tire with five ruts. And…get Jackson working on my car's fuel line."

If Bill had any questions as to why Sam was specifically asking for Jackson, he didn't show it. Then again, given how quickly the "Speed King" turned back to his vehicle, Sam wasn't in a position to see it. Still, it didn't matter much. The deck crew were on the job at peak efficiency, fitting tires, fueling cars and in light of Foyle, helping him get his uniform fully tucked in. A year of idleness hadn't done any favors for his stomach.

_Or mine…_Sam admitted, knowing that he wasn't in peak condition either. Still, that was partly academic. As long as his car was fast, how slowly he moved by himself was academic. And given Jackson's wink at him as he approached his vehicle and fitted on his helmet, he knew his car would be going very fast indeed…

"I programmed gears five and six to freeway speed," the newbie said, his mannerism and even his appearance reminding Sam of Hector Dragg, his second. "Oh and I added the…special milk that you asked for as well."

Sam gave him the thumbs up, though remained silent. Apart from differences in age and occupation, Jackson reminded him of Hector in almost every way, including a willingness to break the rules. Not that Jackson had technically done anything illegal but…well, suffice to say, NASA might call foul if they knew exactly what was in the secret fuel tank at the back of his car.

The result of a hobby as it was.

In the meantime, something resulted from combustion as well, specifically that of normal fuel. The engine roared, an electronic metre appeared on his dashboard and Sam was filled with anticipation as to when he could turn the 0.0mph reading to one many times that number.

_Wait…multiplying zero by anything only results in…_

"Captain Fair, this is Control," came a voice over the radio. "Requesting status, over."

"Control, this is S-Team leader, we're ready to roll," Sam answered. He lowered his car's cockpit and lowered his helmet's visor, as did everyone else on the team.

"Okay…" came Jack's voice, the kid having seemingly regained his confidence. "The subject was last spotted at mile sixty-nine on one-oh-one north. Assuming it's close to that location, I'd recommend taking the five-oh-eight."

"Okay, got it," Sam answered, agreeing with Jack's logic. He switched his radio to the frequency of his unit.

"Alright team, let's move out. Hector, you're my second. Rest of you…well, you know what to do…"

Affirmations, whoops and exclamations reverberated throughout the cars. Sam let out a smile…the race was about to begin. Sure, they drove out of the garage carefully, even waited for the station light to turn green at the turnoff to Central. But after that…

…well, after that, speed would take over. And Sam was determined to be in the thick of it.

* * *

"The night sky looks the same. So do the stars and moon…"

Sonic didn't know how long he'd been sitting on the lamp-post, staring up at the night sky like he had all the time in the world. It was partly because of the fact that while time was on his side, he didn't know what world time belonged to in this case. He'd sat there, looking at the full moon, the same size and proportions as he was used to. He'd looked at the patterns the stars made, realizing that they formed the same patterns that he'd beheld in what seemed like another life. One might find this comforting, if not for the fact that nothing on this world was familiar at all. The universe stayed the same, but the here and now had done a 180. And for the first time in his life, Sonic had been too slow to turn around with it.

_And maybe too slow to prevent the turn from being made…_

There was a robot in the room, yet only recently had Sonic allowed himself to confront it. A room where there was a literal robot, an E-13 among the energy amplifier of Chaos Control. The gunfire, Eggman activating the device, the white light…it was the last thing he remembered before waking up in the intersection. It seemed impossible, but the Chaos Emeralds were said to make the impossible become real. And no-one had ever collected all seven before…maybe this was what they were meant to do.

_Which is what? Transport me through time? Space? Both?_

The hedgehog lowered his gaze, shifting his eyes from the light of the sky to the more gaudy lights of the city he'd escaped from. Was this a different world? Unlikely, given the constellations and all. Time travel? Did more of Eggman's kind exist in the past or was this the future, and a scary one at that? A parallel world? Well, if it was, Sonic would be having a word with comic book publishers for having nothing on reality…whatever reality was anymore.

There was something else bothering Sonic, something that was an even larger robot in the room in some respects. What had become of his friends? Where was his spirit of adventure? As uneasy as he felt now, his worry was reserved for Tails, Cream, even Amy and Knuckles. Even a "Sonic!" or "Eggman's tricked me again!" would be welcome at this point. Yet the only sounds he'd heard this night were sirens and aliens who somehow spoke the same language as he did. And there was something else…a feeling that if anyone was to blame for what had happened, he may be that someone.

_Eggman pushed the switch…_

_But you didn't stop him…_

_Tails would tell you-…_

_Tails isn't here! None of them are!_

Sonic shook it off. Eggman had pushed the switch, Eggman wanted domination of the world and even in a modest sense, the hedgehog knew that if he hadn't fought Eggman at every turn, he'd have achieved his goals long ago. He also knew that he'd never accomplished anything by standing still. So even if all he had was the wind and stars to guide him, Sonic knew that would be enough. Smiling faintly, he hopped down from the lamp post. He had a need for speed and even without anything chasing him, he was going to quench it.

_Wait…there is something chasing me…_

Actually that wasn't entirely true, but as he gazed at the approaching lights and accompanying wail, Sonic knew it might be in the near future. Somehow, the aliens had found him. And somehow, they thought that five F-1 racecars could catch him.

_These guys must be the same species as Eggman…_the hedgehog thought in bemusement, staring blankly at the approaching vehicles. _They're about as crazy as him at least…_

While the aliens might have similar minds as Eggman, Sonic had to admit that their physique was slightly different. Of the five cars, Sonic supposed the red one at the front was their leader. Certainly its driver was, stepping out of his car and standing at almost twice Sonic's height. Thin, lithe…certainly a far-cry away from the aliens in black that had attacked him earlier. But was he as stupid?

"Hey there," the man declared, raising a hand as if in greeting. "You're hard hog to keep up with."

_Yep, he's as stupid._

Sonic didn't have time for this. Sooner or later the…racer would start yakking on about cats with ridiculous names (though that cats existed in this world was admittedly some relief in terms of species) and try to grab him. Better to run off now and save the alien humiliation. At least, that was the plan as Sonic turned around, before the man spoke again.

"Hey, hold on. We don't get such fast company very often. In fact, I'm glad you showed up."

_Glad?_

Sonic glanced back at the alien, having removed both his helmet and dermal as he leant against his vehicle. Maybe it was his confidence, maybe his word, but Sonic felt compelled to listen…for now.

"This city…" the alien continued, as if talking to himself. "It's way too peaceful."

_Ah, so that's why your law enforcers are so hopeless._

"Over the last twelve months I've only made one arrest. Some joker got it into his head that he was a hotshot driver. Brought his own Formula One to the highway, pretending to be a racer. But it was all over in a minute…took me longer to suit up. Heh…he never had a chance…"

_Given your clothes fetish, I'm not surprised…_

Snide words, but Sonic felt that it was best not to say them, not feeling the alien deserved to be insulted. This guy was cocky, sure, not to mention hairless and covered in clothing (though at least had the decency to wear gloves) but in a way, he reminded Sonic of himself. Confident, sarcastic and if his story was true, apparently a man of speed. It was enough to compel the hedgehog to fully turn back to face the alien, matching his grin with his own.

"Of course, it's our own fault," the man continued. We're the Special High Speed Highway force, better known as the S-Team. And I'm the leader of the team. They call me the Highway Star. So even if you think you're the fastest thing around…think again…"

_Huh? Does he intend to-…_

**Vroom!**

_Race?_

Letting out a yelp, Sonic realized that "run the hedgehog down" might be closer to the truth. The alien had remained stationary, but the four other white cars had not. Zooming towards him, all Sonic could do was what he did best and run from them…show them what it meant to be the fastest thing alive and show what happened when you tried to run him over.

_Alright guys…you wanna race? I'm all for it…_

_

* * *

_

_A hedgehog…it really was a hedgehog…_

Or it could be some mutant, or a robot, or heck, even an alien. Either way, Sam Speed didn't really care. All he cared about right now was that the hedgehog was indeed as fast as the SSPD had made it out to be, zooming ahead of the rest of the team. A worthy challenge to be sure. The race would be great, but catching the hedgehog would be even more satisfying.

_Run fast hedgehog…_Sam thought as he climbed back into his car. _I want to be the one to catch you…_


	4. Rush Hour

**Sonic the Hedgehog: Chaos Control Freaks**

**Chapter 4: Rush Hour**

A new day had come.

Not that this was immediately obvious. The hands had past the midnight mark, but it was still dark, still cold, still silent. After all, was it not always darkest and coldest before dawn? So when the silence was broken, when the chill was heated, when the darkness became less dim…it was noticeable. Or, would have been if anyone was in vicinity of the highway that featured one hedgehog running down it and five Formula One racecars in pursuit.

And the hedgehog I question couldn't be happier.

Sonic let out a grin as he charged down the speedway, with the wind in his face and the roar of the vehicles at his back. He'd been caught offguard initially, taken by surprise by the F-1 cars as their leader yakked on about how great a team they were. Yet while Sonic had to admit the racecars were doing a better job of keeping up with him than the other vehicles had, that still wasn't saying much. Kind of like saying a snail moved faster than a slug.

_So guys, you want to play tag? _Sonic wondered, deciding that he'd gone at this measly pace long enough, even if he was breaking what appeared to be the highway's speed limit. _This should be fun…_

_

* * *

_

"The hedgehog has increased its speed. Boost your rear wing angle to twenty degrees. Rest of you, back me up."

Hector Dragg…second in command of the S-Team, second fastest man in Station Square and right now, second in this race. Yet right now, it was only the last second place that irked him. He didn't have any great issue with being Sam's second. Heck, over the last year it had been a moot point anyway. And even if the powers that be criticized him for reckless pursuit of criminals, that hardly seemed to matter, considering he was driving a _racecar _after all. No…someday, Sam would step down. And he, Hector "Hotshot" Dragg would be team leader and the best of the best. Yet if this…hedgehog got away from him, he might have a little less backing for that claim…

Hector glanced at his dashboard-150mph, and steadily rising. Few criminals could, or would surpass this speed and if they did, it rarely lasted long. But not only had the hedgehog apparently done so, but it was also still accelerating. Hector didn't know its exact rate, but suffice to say, it was faster than his car.

_Crap…well, no biggie. The hedgehog may be fast, but it doesn't have a rocket attached to its arse…_

Nor did Hector. His 'rocket' was actually inside his car's 'arse', not attached to it. In actual fact, it wasn't really a rocket, merely a cylinder filled with nitrous oxide. And giving his engine a burst of the fuel, accelerating its rate of oxygen consumption, Hector and the cars behind him sped forward.

_Bring it on hedgehog…you'll be doing laps in a five by five cell come sunrise…_

_

* * *

_

_Ah, so they _can _go over two-hundred miles per hour…_

At least that's how fast Sonic thought he was going. True, he'd done some speed tests with Tails, but without one of his friend's devices, it was pretty much guesswork as to exactly how fast he was going. Which didn't bother Sonic in the slightest. As far as he knew, there were potentially no limits to his speed and the only reason he kept it under control was that it could be difficult to maneuver at certain rates. Yet for now, Sonic was content. He'd picked up the pace and these aliens had managed to keep up with him. Not exactly a challenge, but beggars couldn't be choosers…

_Poor guys, they're trying so hard. I guess they deserve a reward…_

Sonic kept running on track, even as four of the cars started forming a rectangle around him, attempting to box him in. He didn't know where the red one was, but that wasn't really his concern right now. Right now…well, Sonic wasn't concerned at all, even if the aliens thought he had every reason to be.

"Well well well…" Sonic sneered. "It's starting to look like the rush hour."

A rush hour at over 200mph. A rush hour where a hedgehog was 'trapped' between cars.

"Oh no…" moaned Sonic, still retaining his sarcasm. "How will I ever escape?"

None of the aliens answered. So with a chuckle, Sonic prepared to answer for them.

They could match his speed…but how about his agility?

* * *

_Like a rat in a cage…or a rodent. Hedgehogs are rodents aren't they?_

It was a line of thought completely irrelevant to the situation, but right now, Hector didn't care. Trapped between four cars, the hedgehog was trapped. As fast as it could run, it was a moot point against the cage the S-Team had set up, as if in prelude to the one that awaited it in a penitentiary. And at the back of the officer's mind, there was also relief. There'd been fear initially, a fear that stemmed from the possibility that the hedgehog was faster than him, that he couldn't live up to his reputation, that he couldn't take over the S-Team someday.

_Well, luckily those fears were unfounded. Now all we have to do is nab the sucker and-…_

"Huh? Where'd it go?"

Hector blinked. Yet the hedgehog had already disappeared before he did so.

Keeping his foot on the accelerator, Hector nonetheless stared at the now open space of road between the units, still travelling in formation. One second the hedgehog had been trapped between them, the next, it was nowhere to be found. And over his car's radio, it was clear that he wasn't the only one who knew it.

"He disappeared! Vanished!"

"Where is he? Did I run him over?"

Hector gripped his wheel far tighter than was necessary. All this radio chatter…understandable, but the captain would be listening to every word of it. His chances of becoming squad leader had become as immaterial as the hedgehog. A hedgehog that was standing on top of his cockpit…

_Son of a…!_

Hector stared at the creature's green-eyed gaze, the rodent grinning its head off. It was only years of experience that compelled him to keep the pedal to the metal-slowing down suddenly might send the critter flying, but it would cause an accident. And who was to say that falling off the highway might even take the hedgehog out?

_No good son of a…_

Hector didn't get to finish that sentence. Because as the hedgehog leaped off his cockpit, running down the highway faster than ever before, "son of a bitch" didn't seem to cover it. Add in two words beginning with f, one an adjective and another a noun, and it might have come close. Still, even as he gripped the wheel even tighter, Hector held back. For better or worse, he was still in charge of the pursuit. And if it ended with the hedgehog being a casualty, so be it.

"All units, activate boosters on full, engage stairwing racing mode!"

Full nitro, stabilizing wings designed to boost speed even further…the S-Team shot off after the hedgehog. It wasn't long before the 300mph mark was reached and an even shorter amount of time before Hector could feel his car vibrating. Part of his mind told him that this was dangerous-Route 101 hadn't been finished yet, and there was a drop-off a few dozen miles ahead. The rest of his mind told his sanity to shove it. The hedgehog was still in the lead, and the only way this race would end was with either the hedgehog off the road, or himself.

"Sir, maybe we should pull-…"

"Shut up!" Hector yelled. "Full throttle! Now"

"But sir, we-…"

"I said full throttle! Now use it or I'll run you off the…road…"

No-one answered. Not because of the threat, or how poorly executed it was. Indeed, it was nothing to do with sound at all. Rather, it had to do with sight. A sight that Hector, or any other member of the S-Team couldn't believe…

Backwards.

Facing them, still grinning like an idiot, the hedgehog was running _backwards_…

* * *

"What the? How can…it's playing with us!"

"What's with this thing?"

"Chief, you gotta do something!"

_Unbelievable…_

Sam couldn't believe it…whatever _it _was. Was it that his team was asking for help? Was it that the hedgehog was still in the lead? Or was it a combination of the two? He didn't know, and didn't particularly care either. He'd wanted to hold back, to let his team have some fun and allow them to flex their muscles. Yet apparently that had backfired. Not only were Hector's exclamations…disturbing, but now his friends were being made to look like idiots. And while they could be after a beer or five, Sam knew that not a drop of alcohol had been consumed tonight. Right now, the hedgehog was the only one at fault. And if he didn't act now, he'd never have a chance to rectify it.

"Alright guys, playtime's over," Sam announced. "Open the centre lane…let the Highway Star show you how it's done."

There was no affirmation over the radio, but the team obeyed nonetheless. Sam was caught offguard slightly, seeing that the hedgehog was apparently running backwards, but unlike his fellow racers, didn't let it get to him. He had his special 'milk.' And while he'd been hoping to save it for a victory drive back to the station, overtaking the hedgehog with it was an equally valid method of usage.

_Sorry about this hedgehog. But no-one, and I mean _no-one_…is faster than me…on my highway!_

And to prove his point, Sam pulled the lever to the cylinder marked **Super Nitro**.

With a stream of fire shooting back from his car, Sam felt himself pressed back into his seat. Normally, nitro was used in vehicles to accelerate the rate of oxygen consumption and thus increase speed. This however, was an fuel source unto itself, like a rocket or fighter jet. Or a supersonic hedgehog that luckily had the sense to jump over his car rather than be run over. Right now, Sam didn't care about apprehending the suspect. All he cared about now, with the speedometer well on its way to 750mph, with the street lights a blur around him, with his car vibrating like something between a woman's nether regions, was that he was the fastest. The best. The winner of the race…

_Well hedgehog, it's been fun, but I'm afraid I can't have anyone faster than me…_Sam thought to himself smugly. _Only way you can beat me now is if you go supersonic…_

**Boom!**

"What the hell?"

Sam didn't see anything bar a blue blur shooting past him. He didn't hear anything bar a series of 'booms.' Yet putting two and two together, he realized what had happened…

"A sonic boom? He's moving faster than the speed of sound!"

He couldn't believe it. It was _impossible_. Somehow, a hedgehog, a puny little _hedgehog _had not only broken the sound barrier, but had proven himself to be faster than him. _Him_. Sam Speed…the Highway Star…or former highway star, considering-…

"Chief! You're running out of road!"

"Shit!"

Without thinking, Sam acted, slamming his foot on the brake and deploying his parachutes. Route 101 hadn't been completed yet. It had seemed academic at first, but now it seemed real. Very real. As in "holy shit I might go off the highway and kill myself" real. Luckily, as Sam's car reached a stop, that didn't happen.

Or, given his wounded pride, unluckily…

* * *

_Huh? I overtake the guy and he just gives up?_

Sonic wasn't sure how "chicken" became an insult, especially given his rock days with Sharps and the gang. Yet right now, he'd have to apply it to the alien. Admittedly, he'd been the first to impress the hedgehog this night-not only had he succeeded in catching him offguard, but he'd actually managed to overtake him, however briefly. Yet now, with Sonic having asserted his position as the fastest thing alive, the alien had brought his car to a stop.

Stop…just like the red sign said.

In an instant, Sonic understood why the alien had cut the chase short. The highway was coming to an end, a roadworks barrier and a void where the road ended up ahead. Maybe it wasn't a case of the alien being chicken, but rather not being suicidal. Sonic on the other hand…

_Can't slow down…so gotta speed up…_

Sonic knew he couldn't help but go off the edge at this point, so he increased his speed instead. Already at warp speeds, his legs appearing like a single tire, he pushed himself even faster-to go so fast that he could adjust the rate of vertical motion with that of the horizontal kind.

_Okay…_thought the hedgehog. _Here…we…go!_

Or "I." Because only Sonic soared over the edge of the highway. Only Sonic sailed through the air, passing by a windfarm so quickly that the turbines were sent into overdrive, sending the city into something reminiscent of the Casino Night Zone. And only Sonic, sailing above the city as he soared through the air as if flying, could appreciate it.

_Nice…_the hedgehog thought to himself, watching the world of neon light below him. _Pretty nice…_

For the hedgehog, who'd spent the entire night and early morning being chased, this had to be the 'high' part of it. True, he had no idea when or where he was, or why everyone here was apparently mental. Yet there was a sense of tranquility in this point in time, one that Sonic found himself able to appreciate. And there was the knowledge that there was always someone he could have fun with if he ever wanted to race again.

_Poor guy…maybe I'll try racing without breaking the sound barrier next time…_

Sonic shook it off. He could plan to humiliate the alien again later, but right now, he had more important things to worry about, such as gravity, velocity and how to deal with them. He had little control over either, but he could at least see where he was going to land and if necessary, try to adjust it. And so far, it was looking good. From what he could tell, he'd passed over the city proper and was now soaring over a residential area, complete with trees, grass and the perks they provided for a fugitive at the mercy of physics.

Unfortunately, Sonic was at the mercy of something else. His one weakness, his…well, whatever plot device comics used for a superhero's one weakness. Right now, terminology was the last thing on his mind, pushed aside by what was first on his mind…a pool. A pool he was headed for. A pool filled with _water_. And for a hedgehog that couldn't swim…well, even those aliens could understand his situation.

_Not good…_Sonic thought as he approached the body of water. _Not good not good __**not good**__!_

It was hopeless. He couldn't adjust his bearing, he couldn't fight gravity and he couldn't separate the H from the O of the hellhole that awaited him. So he plummeted. And splashed. And sinking to the bottom of the pool, wondered if things could get any worse.

They could.

Sinking to the bottom, Sonic's first instinct was to jump back up. Instinct however, served no purpose here. The pool was too deep, and the water prevented Sonic from even jumping four feet. If it was salty, it might have worked, but the water here seemed completely devoid of it.

_Never thought I'd miss the buoyancy of the Oil Ocean…_

Sonic shook it off, trying to forget the much better times of a world that made sense and reminding himself that while his speed was unlimited, his oxygen wasn't. And since there probably wasn't going to be an air bubble anytime soon, he'd have to take matters into his own hands. Literally, as it was. For as he glanced at a ladder at the pool's far end, his hands were the only thing that could get him out of here.

_And my feet…now if I can just walk over there…_

He couldn't. The water was too clear, buoyancy was practically nil, and the faster Sonic tried to walk, even run to the ladder, the more hopeless the situation became, only rising slightly. Something about his body, possibly a trade-off from having super speed…Sonic wasn't buoyant at all. He couldn't swim, couldn't float, couldn't even _walk _in this body of water. HE was just stuck here…fated to drown…

_Not good…it can't…end like this…_

But it could. His lungs were screaming, his head was pounding and Sonic saw no way out of this mess. Couldn't see that there actually was hope. Couldn't see a light flicker on in the residence to which the pool was part. Couldn't see a young alien gaze at him through a window before running down to the pool. It was only when the alien dived into the pool and pulled him out of the water that he saw any of this.

_Great…_thought the hedgehog, not sure why an alien would bother to save him after everything that had happened over the past few hours. _Out of the kiddy pool and into the-…_

"Wow, that was close. Are you alright?"

_Or not…_

_

* * *

_

When you're woken up at 12:50am, you know it's never good news.

It wasn't until now that Christopher "Chris" Thorndyke knew that saying to be true. Granted, the time his grandfather had mentioned was much later, yet the spirit was the same. A spirit that involved one suddenly springing out of bed, wide awake and full of adrenaline. Fight or flight, as he'd learnt in school. Yet right now, he saw no reason to do either. He'd been woken up, certainly, but why? And how?

It hadn't been until he walked over towards his bedroom's window that he got a clue as to how. The adult pool, normally crystal clear, showed all the signs of someone having dived into it. Or some_thing_. Because while something was faintly visible at the bottom, it was far too small to be a _someone_.

_A cat then? A dog? Something else?_

Chris didn't know. All he did know was that he had three options-go back to sleep, call Mr. Tanaka or deal with the situation himself.

So now, less than a minute after reaching the only viable option, Chris, soaked and freezing, was kneeling at the side of the pool, rubbing the back of what seemed to be both a someone and a something. Someone in that it was bipedal, something in that it looked like a hedgehog. A blue hedgehog with white gloves and red sneakers, but a hedgehog nonetheless.

_Am I dreaming? Or am I really here with a…thing?_

"Thing"…probably the best adjective right now.

"Here, let me help you," Chris said eventually, not sure why he was talking to a hedgehog but seeing nothing to lose. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks, by the way."

Chris blinked, his blue eyes meeting with the hedgehog's emerald ones, his soaking brown hair as soaked as the animal's blue fur. Had the thing just…talked?

"What?" the hedgehog asked. "Something wrong?"

"Er, no," Chris said hastily. "I just…didn't think you could talk…"

It was at this point that Chris knew that he wasn't in a dream. If it was, he'd probably wake up around now, the rational part of his mind telling him that "hedgehogs don't talk damnit!" But since that hadn't happened, it seemed that he was indeed dealing with reality, however strange it had become.

"Well…okay," said the hedgehog skeptically, as if talking animals was nothing strange. "I mean, talking is no big deal, but…wait a minute? Why am I talking to an alien?"

"Alien? My name's Chris!"

The hedgehog raised an eyebrow…and lowered it. Chris didn't know what it was thinking, or why he'd been called an alien, but at least the hedgehog seemed to have decided not to treat him as one.

"Well, thanks Chris. And er…the name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."

Soaked, and still coughing up water, the hedgehog let out a sheepish smile.

Chris couldn't help it-he smiled back.

**The End**

**

* * *

**

_A/N_

_So, that's that. First episode of _Sonic X _novelized, now to start on the seventy...seven...more..._

_Or not. But I may as well clarify for future reference that this is very much a stand-alone novelization rather than an attempt to novelize the entire series. As tempting as it is to go on a "take that 4Kids!" tangent, especially in season 3, I'll pass up. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed. By way of shameless plugging, I'm in the midst of posting an Archieverse _Sonic the Hedgehog _story (_Transgression_) and have another story on my to-write list, _The Mobius Chronicles _(haven't posted info on it in my homepage yet, so don't bother checking). My current writing focus right now however, is on a _Dead Space _fic titled _Thirteen_. Yes, I've gone from super-sonic hedgehogs to space zombies. Go figure._


End file.
